Recipe: bone broth for your dog

Bone broth is a very healthy supplement. It is not only good for dogs, but it is also beneficial for our own health (for those of us that don’t live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, that is).

Making your own bone broth takes some patience, but it’s well-worth it in the end. People often add numerous herbs and vegetables to their bone broth, but the simple recipe we share below is already enough.

Bone broth helps detox the liver, acts as a joint supplement, and acts as a digestive aid. Bone broth really has a wide range of benefits. It’s best made with bones like poultry wings and legs, oxtails, neck bones, and poultry carcasses.

Since bone broth tastes well to most dogs, as it’s rich in fats and protein, it can be used as a topper on food for dogs that are picky eaters. Additionally, it’s very nutrient dense food to feed dogs that refuse to eat anything else after illness or surgery (it doesn’t provide a balanced diet but it does contain many nutrients and gives an energy boost).

As recommended by Dr Karen Becker, bone broth is great to offer as the first food after a day of fasting, and to offer to dogs with an inflamed GI tract (signs can include throwing up and diarrhea, but always consult with your vet if your pet continues to feel unwell, to rule out blockages).

The recipe is really quite simple, but it takes quite some time. As you will read below, bone broth is exactly what the name suggests, a broth made of bones. When the broth is done and taken off the stove, you’re left with cooked bone and meat. The bone is obviously not safe to feed, but the meat can still be of use!

I separated the cooked meat from the bone, very carefully, and stored the meat in a container. I later used these leftovers as well as part of the bone broth, to make some cold treats for Mojo to enjoy on a summer day! You can also add small amounts of the leftover meat to your dog’s breakfast and/or dinner.

Here’s our YouTube video that summarizes the recipe below in just two minutes!

Keep in mind: Be careful feeding bone broth to overweight dogs. Bone broth is very nutrient dense and can thus easily lead to weight gain.

Spread out all bones on a baking tray and bake them in a preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until they turn dark brown. Transfer the bones, and any juices that may have leaked onto the baking tray, over to the stew pan, and cover with approximately 2 inches of water. Add the apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and bring to a boil. Let the broth simmer on a low heat for at least 24 hours, but for the best result, leave it to simmer for 48 hours.

Run the broth through a colander first, and then through a sieve. You can then store the bone broth in an airtight container, or freeze it in ice cube trays. Do not throw out the leftover meat, you can use it to make delicious and healthy dog treats.

If you prefer to remove the fat, let the broth cool off, and scoop off the fat layer once the broth has set. Then reheat the broth au bain marie (in a heat proof bowl over a pan of hot water) and pour it back into a airtight container, or freeze in ice cube molds.

This Post Has 4 Comments

Thanks for the recipe. Our dog just recovered from a bout of pancreatitis, so we are working on getting grains and gluten out of his diet and supplement with more proteins. Bone broth should help on his road to wellness.